Nicholas Waller is a senior journalist, who has been reporting on the Ukraine and other regional conflicts in the Post-Soviet countries for many years.
Eurasia Diary has conducted an Exclusive Interview on the current situation of the country and the fighting going on the Eastern Part.
Eurasia Diary: What is the current situation in Ukraine especially, dispute of the fighting on the Eastern part of the country?
Nicholas Waller: Well, after 18 months, of the certain ceasefire which is broker by international communities, including France and Germany after low level conflict is going on ever since about Winter of 2015, they have been sporadic moments of the fighting here every most with the tense of the low level sniping. But after last 2-3 weeks major uptake, specifically, after Russia made that is ridiculous and seems to be incoherent accusations that Ukraine try to occupied the Crimea and so on.
The logical one is the conflict in the East is so much frozen., cannot actually militarily win, we might it considered to be a proper war invade with fully massive number of the troops and the equipment which is also report the huge capture of it. There has been this kind of uneasy draft you wanna found it between the two armies Moscow did not expect the Kiev will be able to fight back that they did two years ago, but Ukraine has not enough military to be able to full fledged war. I think most of the people, probably, objective fighting has been removed. Moscow turning down among the fighting in East.
Eurasia Diary: How about the situation on economy of the country heading after this Russian attack?
Nicholas Waller: Well, surprisingly, I think that is something,probably, interesting and I do think that there are some people who cannot agree with Russia. One of the surprises that there was GDP growth for the first time during the 40 months. It was surprising for the country partially at war and where is the economy with Russia is contract part of this quite a bit foreign investment is coming in the country. Taking bit quiet of time the country has good foreign investment. Foreign investors are looking at the point of good investment. You still have stigma the fact that the county is partially at war. There are a lot of people don’t realize the Geographic size of Ukraine which is roughly one and half of the size of Germany, stood at 45 million people and the front line where the fighting is suppose to happening is about 1000 kilometers from the capital-Kiev. It means that you far away from the pace where there is conflict.
“Small businesses and entrepreneurs are almost thriving, young Ukrainian particularly under the age of 40 most of them specially Urban Ukrainians mostly speak English or German are really started to branch out believe that they can find opportunity of business and own companies make monies for the first time. There is long way towards the economic reforms.”
Eurasia Diary: How is the agriculture situation of the country? Is there any foreign investment coming inside?
Nicholas Waller: If everybody had opportunity to properly reform itself , it has to be that it all goes fast this very lucrative business they have.
“The agriculture sector is probably going to make Ukraine a power economic house.”
If the agricultural industry is ever able to reach its potential, it is most certainly propeller a place will be so attractive to Europe and Brussels that will be very hard to cooperate at some particular point.
“Ukrainians had been under Russian empire and Soviet Union for long time, the country did not have any mass opportunity to improve the agricultural sector.”
Now where we are in developments, still very much is embryonic stage. There are very good things happening regard to investors coming from Western Europe, but still measurable privatizations, reforms that is going on in agricultural.
Eurasia Diary: What are the current constitutional reforms in the Parliament?
Nicholas Waller: This is far more complicated issue in the politics, especially in the Soviet politics. I think that is going to be feebale. It has been two and a half years, Maiden revolution protests which is alternative degree turn for Ukraine.I think Ukraine were relatively agnostic about their own nationality. They guess we are Ukrainian but without having deep sense of civic duty and duties of the country. That is the case for most of the Parliamentarians. The society is totally changed in the regard there is absolutely sense of deep routed Ukrainians.
“Doing only business is not the case of the war. There were a lot of people in Maiden want to reform and new constitution. I do not think that the constitution of Ukraine will be changed entirely in early stage. But the reforms will take time. It will need at least decades to fix the problems.”
Eurasia Diary: Do you think that there are some of the international development organizations who are active making Ukraine prior to 2013 that how they work in progress?
Nicholas Waller: It is very interesting for me that you can compare the trust Ukraine and Georgia. Georgia was focused on international aids approximately ten years ago. Many different organizations from EU and USA putting a lot of money to Tbilisi not just in terms of money but, try to help civil society. Quite a few international organizatio play a role in Ukraine 10 years ago. Now, you are actually see very tangible results regarding a lot of Russian propaganda in Russian media.
Of course there are organizations working in Ukraine has interesting support , but at the same time there are actually positive effect on very minor things.
I think, probably, investments grows and we will see more and more income on which is never happened in Georgia . Georgia was never really able to generate enough work become a proper partner with this organizations.
Interview by Malik Ayub Sumbal
